Call it a soft opening – a very soft opening. The US men’s national team kicked off what promises to be a busy and pivotal 2021 on Sunday evening with an easy assignment and an emphatic win, a 7-0 thump from an improvised Trinidad and Tobago side that barely belonged on the field.
With a mix of senior players and Olympic hopefuls, American coach Gregg Berhalter saw his team establish his clear superiority just seconds after the opening whistle. After three weeks against each other in January camp practice in Florida, the Americans clearly wanted to beat up an unknown opponent. The United States led two goals after 10 minutes at the Exploria Stadium in Orlando City and went to the easy victory.
In the future it will get more difficult. Berhalter hopes to schedule a few friendlies in Europe at the end of March, after which MLS players may be locked out (if not, they’ll be in the preseason). At the same time, the US U-23s will compete in the Olympic qualifiers in Mexico. The games then become more and more important. In June there will be the inaugural final of the Concacaf Nations League. In July there is the Gold Cup and in September the road to Qatar starts with the first three World Cup qualifying matches.
It’s hard to argue that Sunday’s game prepared anyone for that, but it sure looked fun for the hosts, and the men filling their national team stats certainly enjoyed the evening. Here are three thoughts from the US dress rehearsal for a critical year.
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Berhalter sends another message that Olympics matter
There is still some concern that the Olympics may not take place, but if they do, US Soccer desperately wants to be in Japan. The American U-23s have missed the past two tournaments, and this year, to increase their odds, Berhalter and U-23 coach Jason Kreis hosted an unprecedented January camp where the two teams mingled. More than two-thirds of the players invited to camp in Bradenton, Florida, qualified for the Olympics.
Although several were sent home for Sunday’s game, Berhalter started a team with six U-23s, along with five senior players. It was a clear message: it was more important to give a few potential Olympic contributors some extra international spice than to beat Trinidad by an extra goal or three.
Three-quarters of the back line (Miles Robinson, Aaron Herrera and Sam Vines), the defensive midfielder (Jackson Yueill) and two-thirds of the front three (Jesús Ferreira and Jonathan Lewis) were U-23s, and they were counted equally. in victory as their older teammates. Vines, the left back, made a particularly dynamic contribution as the US pulled out in the first half, taking advantage of opportunities to move forward and deliver several excellent passes that broke lines or looked good to others. His evasive, early cross in the second minute led to the Americans’ first goal.
Yueill was a solid organizer for the back four and showed good discipline. And Lewis and Ferreira (see below) were particularly active and attacked confidently. Each scored his first two senior international goals. Robinson also made his short-range debut goal early in the second half.
At halftime, newly eligible midfielder Andrés Perea, 20, replaced senior stalwart Sebastian Lletget. Perea recently filed for a permanent move to the US after representing Colombia at the U-17 and U-20 World Cups. He was whistled for a penalty kick after a high kick in the 65th minute, but goalkeeper Matt Turner, who made his American debut, saved on Alvin Jones.
Ferreira rewards Berhalter’s faith
Jesús, the son of former MLS MVP David Ferreira, looked well on his way to stardom a year ago when he followed an eight-goal rookie season at FC Dallas with his first senior cap in last February’s win over Costa Rica. But 2020 was a difficult year for many, and a difficult year for the young forward. He only scored one goal and one assist in 20 games for FCD.
Nonetheless, Berhalter continued to see something in the 20-year-old and invited him to this month’s camp. On Saturday, Berhalter announced that Jozy Altidore, the third top scorer in USMNT history, would be kept out of the Trinidad game as a precaution, suggesting that a Toronto FC move was possible for the veteran. That left the door in the middle open for Ferreira.
“Jesús made his debut for us in January last year and we thought he was doing great,” Berhalter said this week. He picked up where he left off in this camp. He’s done well, so we know what brings Jesús – falling really well, linking really well, really good defensive pressure at the start, and then in the penalty area he’s really calm and can finish his chances. “
Ferreira demonstrated everything Berhalter summed up in a historic performance that ended with two goals and three assists. In Lewis ‘second minute, Ferreira ran into Vines’ cross and after cutting his own shooting angle, he had the consciousness to cut it in front of Lewis for an easy finish. In the ninth, Ferreira opened his US account with a first time after a cut by Vines.
DC United veteran Paul Arriola scored his first on the evening of the 22nd after Ferreira carried his pass into the penalty area, pulled the goalkeeper and a defender out and then slid the ball back to Arriola. Ferreira re-established Arriola in the 41st with a well-placed header, then scored his second of the game in the 61st when Arriola returned the favor and found Ferreira in the penalty area. Ferreira’s nimble left-footed touch and right-footed finish made for a perfect cap for his performance.
“Since we started working with him last January, we had a very good feeling for him and a very good impression and idea of what he could do in our system. We have no control over what happens at club level. We really can’t. For us, it is still trusting a player, believing in a player, and we are excited to have him back in camp in January, ”said Berhalter. “He gives us a lot of options and a lot of flexibility, and we really like how he performs for us on the forward.”
Ferreira left in the 64th to make way for Orlando’s Chris Mueller. He had impressed in a position still insecure for the US, made good decisions in the penalty area, involved himself in the build-up and played out multiple chances. He should be on the screen in March to assist the U-23s.
“I think Coach Gregg had an idea for us for this game. We had a long camp trying new things, getting to know each other, and as you can see in the game it worked,” Ferreira told FOX after the game. contest. game. “We brought it all together today.”
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The pandemic continues to wreak havoc even as the games resume
Trinidad would not be Sunday’s opponent. The original plan was to persuade Serbia, whose junior varsity (this friendly match was not contested during a FIFA window) would still have been a much stiffer challenge. But visa and travel issues prevented Serbia from coming, and so the Soca Warriors were a last-minute replacement.
Berhalter’s team had already faced substandard resistance in December, when El Salvador barely showed up for an ad-hoc friendly that ended in a 6-0 decision for the Americans. Trinidad was worse. But it had every excuse – no matter how many hurdles the pandemic has put in Berhalter’s way, it’s nothing compared to the devastation it wreaked on Trinbagonic football.
The national team, under new coach Terry Fenwick, had not played a game for 14 months. The national competition has been closed since the pandemic hit in March. Some players have no clubs and many had not played a game for almost a year. Fenwick brought 13 limitless men to Orlando, and only three had reached double digits. It turned out, and it was difficult on both sides. The game featured water breaks halfway through the two halves, a move made in deference to the visitors. Trinidad presented no threat and was routed, and the US was stuck with an exercise that was probably less strenuous than most of her Florida practice sessions. The attendees lacked defensive chemistry, but didn’t seem interested in playing deep and packing.
‘I feel bad for Trinidad. … These are all things, these are all consequences of the pandemic and things that we will have to get used to and adapt to, ”said Berhalter before the match. ‘It will be nice when they start a match. I expect they will have some fitness issues. I think that’s normal because they don’t play, the domestic league isn’t even running. “
It’s hard to argue with Berhalter’s calculus – a game is better than no game. But it’s also hard to imagine what the Americans achieved on Sunday night, other than some practice celebrating goals.
“You can only play against the opponent on the field,” said Berhalter. “And what I really liked about the boys was the focus and the intensity. After three weeks of training with a relatively new group, a young group, it is good to be able to see those elements on the playing field against a real opponent.
“We know that [Trinidad] was not a World Cup qualifying team, based on who they had available, ”he continued. “Nevertheless, it was good to see the focus of the team.”